Angus McDonald / Gary Sharpe & Associates, Inc.

FEMA

FEMA is currently in the process of revising the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for many of Connecticut's shoreline communities.

The Town of Old Saybrook is providing a new webpage to assist residents in interpreting preliminary changes to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS). We estimate that approximately 600 properties (10% of the Town) will be affected by the adoption of the new Flood Insurance Rate Map and Flood Insurance Study in 2012.

This is the best information that the Town has available and is being provided to assist residents in understanding changes that may affect flood insurance and construction practices in our community.

Please contact Angus McDonald / Gary Sharpe & Associates, Inc. if you have any questions or if we can assist you in any way.

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FEMA FLOOD ZONE CHANGES

Estimates of principle structures in FEMA 100 year flood zones

2008 vs. 2012

The following summarizes the number of principle structures found in both the 2008 and 2012 (preliminary) FEMA FIRM 100 year flood zones in Old Saybrook. In residential zones, principle structures include houses but not any other detached structures on the property; on condominium sites each residential building is included; on business and industrial sites all buildings except small sheds and the like are mapped as principle structures. Principle structures were mapped as points that represented the approximate center of each building. Using ArcGIS, these points were overlaid on the 100 year flood zones from the 2008 and 2012 FIRMs to identify all points within the 100 year flood zones. A visual inspection of digital aerial imagery was done of all points close to the edge but outside the 100 year flood zones for 2008 and 2012 to identify and recode those points representing principle structures where a portion of the building appeared to be inside the 100 year flood zone but the mapped point was outside.

A summary of the results of the analysis shows:

Based on the 2008 FEMA FIRMs, there were approximately 1575 principle structures in the 100 year flood zones

Based on the 2012 Preliminary FEMA FIRMs, there will be approximately 2093 principle structures in the 100 year flood zones

Based on changes in the 2008 and 2012 FEMA FIRMs, 96 principle structures that were in a 100 year flood zone are now outside the 100 year flood zone

Important Note: Structures that have been elevated to meet current FEMA elevation standards are included in the above counts since the mapping analysis was unable to identify which structures have been elevated.